I visited West Sussex village's scarecrow festival for 2024 and found Santa on his holiday!

Ferring Scarecrow Festival 2024 is a feast for the eyes and the senses, with interactive displays and comical scenes to delight and amuse people of all ages.

This is the fifth trail and I have been going every year, always excited to see what the villagers have come up with.

There are 88 entries this year and they are all amazing, making judging a very difficult job for TV fitness expert Lizzie Webb, known as Mad Lizzie, who moved to Ferring three years ago.

I particularly enjoy the interactive scarecrows, especially the ones that talk, and there are a few of those this year. My favourite was probably Santa on his holiday!

A sign directs you down Elm Park to the Elf Park Caravan Site and at the end of the road, you find Santa relaxing in a deckchair. There's even a shower for him!

"Hello, please go away. You're much too early, I'm on my holiday," he quips. But don't leave without one of the lollipops left for children to enjoy.

Learn about Colonel John Bigelow Dodge, aka Johnnie Dodge, and his role in The Great Escape, meet The Plant from Little Shop of Horrors and a clever display of crows made from plastic bottles, being scared off by a dragon made from bottle tops.

There's also a dog walker who asks for help choosing where to go for a drink - a nice way to highlight the local pubs and restaurants.

Have fun playing games along the way. Ferring Country Centre has Petanque on offer, you can throw beanbags in Littlehampton Road and in Onslow Drive, one house has a whole host of games to try.

Residents of The Maples have worked together to create Mayples Mayhem, with various scarecrows reflecting the character of each member of what they call a 'disparate group of neighbours getting together and enjoying our favourite things'. They are even busy baking so visitors can enjoy biscuits while viewing the scene.

We visited almost all of the displays on Saturday and were pleased to see many others en route, despite the rain. Even more turned out on Sunday in the sunshine.

Purchase a map for £1 at The Orange Tree and support the fundraising for The Community Dementia Hive at Beehive Care in Ferring. Visit www.givengain.com/project/scarecrow-raising-funds-for-beehive-care-81997 to make a larger donation.

Ferring Scarecrow Festival is running from October 26 to November 3. There are 17 pumpkins to find, unscramble the letters to make three word and enter the prize draw.

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